The search for less expensive, more effective, and more environmentally sound methods of creating building foundations for new construction on previously undisturbed or undesirable building sites has led to the development by the applicant of the Pinned Foundation System (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,039,256 incorporated herein by reference), Structure Load Transfer Systems (See U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,184 incorporated herein by reference), and Surface Structures and Methods Thereof (See U.S. Pat. No. 6,910,832 incorporated herein by reference). These systems are an important advance in foundation engineering and have expanded the availability of many sites for surface structures.
Most foundation systems used in significant structure support require substantial amounts of concrete and excavation. The use of concrete or other cementitious material is often an unattractive option for a growing number of building solutions, and excavation can disrupt important soil function. Building sites may be sensitive to the impacts of this type of conventional construction, and cement itself—comprised of non-renewable resources—has the third largest carbon footprint in US industry.
A variety of multiple pile foundation systems, which do not rely solely on a cementitious material, minimize excavation, and provide a locking mechanism for fixing the relative position of multiple piles have been developed including U.S. Pat. No. 5,395,184 as referenced above. In addition to eliminating the need for excessive cementitious material in significant structure foundations, it is also desirable that the range of possible surface structures to which these systems can be applied is widened, and the volume and weight of the materials needed for the foundation system are reduced. The present invention was developed to fulfill these objectives.